JLam: Jeremy was a first team all-state pick in 2006 along with Ryan Anderson and Chase Budinger. Anderson plays for the Magic and Budinger plays for the Rockets.Lin was actually chosen at the time over other notables as Landry Field(second team) , Russell Westbrook(third team) and Brook Lopez(third team)
So at 6’2? PG in high school Lin should not have a problem playing at the next level. Lin was overlooked by major colleges likely because of being Asian.
I am actually very happy that he gets overhype now as I believe he was under appreciated by the Div I college and major media outlets since high school.

Mike Kurylo: One thing to consider, that being the Division II Player of the Year doesn’t matter much in a small state like California where basketball isn’t really important.

Jeremy was a first team all-state pick in 2006 along with Ryan Anderson and Chase Budinger. Anderson plays for the Magic and Budinger plays for the Rockets. Lin was actually chosen at the time over other notables as Landry Field(second team) , Russell Westbrook(third team) and Brook Lopez(third team)
So at 6’2″ PG in high school Lin should not have a problem playing at the next level. Lin was overlooked by major colleges likely because of being Asian.
I am actually very happy that he gets overhype now as I believe he wasn’t under appreciated by the Div I college and major media outlets since high school.

xcat01: Owen, Lin was Division II Player of the Year and First Team All-State which includes all divisions. So yes, he should have been noticed but as it has been said before, What scout is willing to put their job on the line for a solid but not flashy asian kid.

One thing to consider, that being the Division II Player of the Year doesn’t matter much in a small state like California where basketball isn’t really important.

daJudge:
Mike, thank you and your wife for the article on stereotypes.If I may digress a bit.I have one white child, two bi-racial children and two bi-racial grandchildren.My two bi-children are very light skinned and can, what people used to say, “pass” for white.I think they truly consider themselves biracial.In fact, my son looks like the guy in the Seinfeld episode who Elaine erroneously thought was black.To me, the children’s racial identity depends in large part on who they are hanging out with, i.e., the context or setting.Weirdly, when my son was in the Army, he was kind of a red neck. My grandkids are dark skinned and people naturally perceive them as black.My youngest grandkid (7) says she is brown like Beyonce.My oldest grandkid (11) is just plain freaky-deaky.God, I love her. My family is aberrant in my neck of the woods (and I mean woods), so the kids kind of roll with the punches.So don’t we, as they say. Fortunately, being biracial is much more acceptable these days thanks to folks like your good ole wife.Keep up the good work!

Pretty much what I was alluding to with “some day…” but much more in-depth! ;-)

This reminds me of teams overlooking Serge Ibaka in his draft year. Despite his physical gifts, after seeing guys like Saer Sene and Gana Diop fail to realize their own potential, teams seemed to have developed a fear of selecting “raw” African prospects with substantial draft picks. With all the pressure on the scouts to make good decisions on these prospects, more than a few have decided to err on the side of caution and avoid the risk of suggesting a bust.

jon abbey: again, maybe you missed game 1 of the playoffs last year before he hurt his back. I’m not saying I know what’s going on with him, but I don’t think anyone else really does either.

I remember the game. I was at it. Amar’e was really good in it. But he wasn’t very good for 6 weeks leading up to it, and he hasn’t been very good since it.

I get that you are more swayed by momentary glimpses of greatness/ineptitude than by the greater body of evidence (see Fields v Allen; Baron v Dallas; Walsh v the 2009 draft board), and I’m not saying you’re wrong. Just that there is a large body of evidence to draw conclusions from, and for whatever reason Amar’e and Fields have both been largely unproductive since the day Carmelo arrived. (And now that Lin I playing along side Anthony, he too has looked pedestrian).

Owen:
One question, Lin was first team all state for Division 2 in California. Are most of the good players in Division 1?

Means smaller school by enrollment. Mater Dei High School is a national powerhouse, which Lin’s team beat for championship.